


A Hairy Situation

by Raving-Ravenclaw (MNXombi)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Discord Roleplay Server, Harry Potter OC'S - Freeform, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, M/M, Original Character(s), Other, Present time Harry Potter, Small Homophobic remarks, i'm bad at tagging i'm sorry, trigger warning, tw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-15 00:17:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17518601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MNXombi/pseuds/Raving-Ravenclaw
Summary: An unfinished thing with my own HP ocs set in an alternate present timeline. All the characters within are mine and have been based off of a Harry Potter RP discord server that I created and currently own. ((HINT HINT TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO RP HARRY POTTER STUFFS WITH ME :> )).--“Kain’el, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but the severing charm he used on your hair is permanent.”Kain’el blinked, blinked again, reached his slightly shaking hands up to place his circle glasses back on his face, and looked between the headmaster and Vjekoslav.“Excuse me?” Kain’el asked quietly, shaking his head a little and blinking rapidly now as what the headmaster said seemed to sink over him.“I’ve tried every spell I could think of just now to try and grow your hair back to its original length, but it seems that Vjekoslav changed the severing charm to make it permanent. I’ll keep thinking, but I believe that you may have to naturally grow your hair back.” Headmaster Hypatia said, her tone non-sympathetic. Awkwardly, she patted Kain’el on the shoulder twice and swiftly made her way out of the room.





	A Hairy Situation

Vjekoslav stood like a statue in the back of the dueling club room, not paying attention to the small gathering of weaker students around him that were practicing on each other, their ineptitude obvious in their inabilities to cast even rudimentary spells. His glassy, ice blue eyes were fixated on the reason why he even showed up to this pathetic club, the small and very unassuming 6th year Ravenclaw perched on top of one of the tables at the other end of the room, his pale face buried behind a book that looked much too large for his hands.

Vjekoslav was aware of the small vendetta that bloomed in his stomach from last week, the unexpected loss in his duel against Kain’el staying with him longer than anticipated. Vjekoslav had been vaguely impressed by Kain’el’s ingenuity in his choice of spells, something that was subjectively easy to accomplish considering the rest of the student body at the once respected Hogwarts. Still, Vjekoslav had just been preparing to finish Kain’el off as humanely as possible, Headmaster Hypatia’s keen eyes watching for anything unnecessarily malicious, when Kain’el caught him off-guard with a nonverbal Incarcerous spell. The strong magical rope had wrapped swiftly around his ankles and high up the length of his legs, causing him to fall face first onto the dueling table that they were standing on. Vjekoslav could still fight, his arms not yet bound, but Hypatia’s hand shot into the air, signaling that the duel was over in her eyes.

It took a lot to make Vjekoslav feel anything now, his 150 years of living having dampened most of the excitement of experience, and as Hypatia had quickly dispelled the rope and gathered everyone to leave, Vjekoslav became aware of the low fire that signaled anger, feeling it now again with the mounting tension of his own making. It was almost time, Vjekoslav thinking that although he may lose the duel again, he would make sure that Kain’el also lost.

Headmaster Hypatia seemed to appear from nowhere beside Vjekoslav, her short stature completely at odds with the terrifying magical being that she really was.

“Rematch?” She asked knowingly. When Vjekoslav didn’t say anything, she turned to the group of students and demanded their attention.

“Mr. Trellesai, you’re up.”

Kain’el peeked up over the large tome, his head tilted in momentary confusion before his violet eyes shifted slightly, seeing Vjekoslav standing near the headmaster. He visibly sighed, his small shoulders rising and falling in a manner that gave Vjekoslav the impression he was gathering his nerve.

‘Good.’ He thought, pushing himself away from the wall to gracefully lift himself up onto the dueling table. He ignored the mutterings of the students around him, some of them even placing bets. Once Kain’el managed to hoist himself onto the large table, looking much like a child trying to get out of a swimming pool, Vjekoslav bowed in respect to him. Kain’el bowed back low and meaningful before lifting his wand and placing it in the ready position. Vjekoslav followed, and his still heart quivered with the anticipation of his scheme.

“Begin.” The Headmaster said unexpectedly, and the pair of them immediately started dueling within the safe boundaries Headmaster Hypatia had set.

The students that had been spectating around the table were forced back against the walls of the room, their spells large and grandiose with their power. Although the amount and types of spells they could use were fairly limited, the two wizards performed what they could with upmost distinction, even something as simple to Vjekoslav as the Impediment jynx, a jynx he learned over two years ago, was nearly lethal to anyone who happened to get in the magic’s way.

Kain’el was quick and intelligent, surprisingly assertive in his dueling for being so soft-spoken and shy. He was a welcomed challenge, Vjekoslav knowing that Kain’el knew every single spell he had ever come across or read about, memorizing them easily with his photographic memory. Vjekoslav had to bear down and focus past his excitement to contend with the smaller, pale boy, trying his best to guess between Kain’el’s defensive spells and when he was going to attack.

Vjekoslav had noticed in the last duel that Kain’el had a dueling tell, a certain way he moved and flicked his wrist after an involuntary tightening of his fist when he was about to cast something particularly difficult. Vjekoslav, with his vampiric sight, saw that the tendons in Kain’el’s wand arm were starting to flex, the tension in his arm moving up to his hand, gripping and preparing for another attack.

“I have you now.” Vjekoslav whispered to himself, and learning from Kain’el’s use of nonverbal spells, prepared something nonlethal but just as devious. He completely dropped his defensive shield charm, standing straight and holding his wand vertically in front of his face as he focused his intentions. His wand tip had just started to glow when Kain’el threw his next spell, Vjekoslav uncaring of the effects and not moving from his spot. As Kain’el’s wand hand followed through with his spell movement, his wand arm nearly across his chest with the movement, Vjekoslav cast his charm, watching it soar with lightning speed towards Kain’el.

Vjekoslav had aimed his augmented spell just above Kain’el’s head, knowing that with the speed of it and the fact that Kain’el had just released his own jynx, Kain’el would be forced to physically duck rather than deflect it magically. Kain’el was good, but reflexive, back-handed spellcasting was tough, even for Vjekoslav. Vjekoslav hoped that Kain’el would lower the majority of his body to the tabletop in a very quick manner rather than just lower his head minimally into his neck and shoulders. He was momentarily able to see that he had guessed correctly before Kain’el’s jynx hit him solidly against the fronts of his legs.

Vjekoslav’s legs were slammed with the force of Kain’el’s tripping jynx, his legs being compelled backwards which sent his upper body violently downwards. Vjekoslav was easily able to get his hands under him to catch himself, his wand making a cracking sound as it was pinned underneath his hands against the wood tabletop. He didn’t bother to rise, his dark-haired head whipping up instead to observe his handiwork, a small, cold smirk playing on his features before he batted it away.

Kain’el was panting a little from their duel and was just starting to lift his wand hand again until something else caught his attention. Vjekoslav watched as Kain’el felt his silvery white, waist-length hair fall like feathers around him, some of the strands catching limply and draping across his shoulders and clinging to the biceps of his rough, black wizard robe. Vjekoslav’s augmented severing charm had hit Kain’el’s bound ponytail near the base of his head, the momentum of Kain’el suddenly ducking downward causing his near white hair to float upward into the charm. It had worked perfectly.

Kain’el’s violet eyes widened with the sight, but determined not to lose, casted another spell at Vjekoslav with his brief anger. Vjekoslav let the body binding curse hit him, not caring about winning anymore. Headmaster Hypatia’s hand hit the air again, and she turned on him.

“What did you use, a severing charm?” She had asked, her dark eyes even darker than normal, heavy with suspicion. She waved the binding curse away without saying a word, Vjekoslav rising to his full height and brushing the dust off of his three-piece suit.

“Indeed.” He replied simply.

“What did you do to it?” She asked impatiently, the volume of her voice rising.

“Excuse me?”

“What did you do to the severing charm?” She asked sternly, her tone indicating she knew full well that he knew what she was talking about.

“I may have augmented it, but it essentially has the same…” Headmaster Hypatia cut him off by walking briskly away from him, her black boots clicking against the beaten tabletop.

At the other end of the table, Kain’el seemed pleased with himself at another victory, the knowledge of Vjekoslav’s augmentation not yet known to him. Vjekoslav watched as Kain’el took off his large silver glasses and shook his head, lifting his hands up to comb through his now extremely unevenly cut hair. Some of the silvery strands still reached his chin, while others sat higher against the downy part of his flushed cheek. He had just started to magically clean up the table and his uniform, banishing the hair from sight, when the headmaster began waving her wand over Kain’el.

Kain’el stiffened at the sudden appearance of the headmaster, becoming very statuesque as she casted what seemed like a handful of different spells over Kain’el. Vjekoslav bit back the smile that wanted to creep onto his face, the pleasure of knowing his augmented spell was staying put even with the headmaster’s magic settling wonderfully in his stomach, the vendetta and anger gone. She turned her dark features to Vjekoslav, her voice commanding as she reprimanded him.

“That’ll be 25 points from Slytherin, 25 points to Ravenclaw, and a whole week of detention with your head of house at sundown each day, weekend included.” She hissed, Kain’el’s confusion evident all over his face.

“But, Headmaster…” Vjekoslav pretended to rebut, even drawing up the effort of pulling a sour and unbelieving face to match his indignant tone.

“Kain’el, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but the severing charm he used on your hair is permanent.”

Kain’el blinked, blinked again, reached his slightly shaking hands up to place his circle glasses back on his face, and looked between the headmaster and Vjekoslav.

“Excuse me?” Kain’el asked quietly, shaking his head a little and blinking rapidly now as what the headmaster said seemed to sink over him.

“I’ve tried every spell I could think of just now to try and grow your hair back to its original length, but it seems that Vjekoslav changed the severing charm to make it permanent. I’ll keep thinking, but I believe that you may have to naturally grow your hair back.” Headmaster Hypatia said, her tone non-sympathetic. Awkwardly, she patted Kain’el on the shoulder twice and swiftly made her way out of the room.

The students were muttering in shocked tones now, some of the Slytherin’s angry at him losing 25 points, and they slowly left the pair of them in the dueling club room. Kain’el didn’t move to leave, and Vjekoslav didn’t either.

“Permanent?” Kain’el whispered, shock still stuck on his face even after a minute of the headmaster leaving the room.

“As far as I or the headmaster knows.” Vjekoslav said smooth and emotionless. Kain’el continued to stand there with his mouth slightly agape, his glasses shakily put on his face, and his hair choppy, short, and sad.

Vjekoslav hopped down from the table, Kain’el’s shoulders now starting to heave with heavier breathing. Vjekoslav was just starting to pass Kain’el when he spotted a long, white braid that was on the floor. Using his wand, he levitated the waist length braid, some of the hair still tightly intertwined together, and placed it at Kain’el’s feet. He waited until Kain’el stooped to pick up the braid before using a vanishing charm on it, Kain’el’s fingers missing it by a second.

“I look forward to seeing you next week, Mr. Trellesai.” Vjekoslav said, slipping out of the room just in time to smell salt hit the air.

 

===

 

Kelvin was in the great hall at dinnertime sitting at the Ravenclaw table despite the fact he was a Hufflepuff and waiting for Kain’el to be done with dueling club. They always met for dinner after his club activities, Kain’el usually more hungry than normal at the expense of using much of his magic. Kelvin, thinking that Kain’el would be just as hungry as he usually was after dueling club, proactively layered food onto a plate, vaguely wondering why he was late but trying not to worry.

He was just about to finish Kain’el’s plate when a tall, dark auburn-haired girl appeared in front of him. He didn’t need to lift his gaze from Kain’el’s plate to know that it was Kain’el’s best friend Avery, a Ravenclaw in the same year as him and Kain’el. He expected her to sit at the table, always excited for mealtimes, but instead she stood awkwardly by him.

“Hey, Kelvin...” She said, her Irish accent as thick as his Lincolnshire one. He looked up toward her, not really looking in her eyes but settling his gaze to her reddish hair instead.

“What’s wrong?” He asked quietly, the tension rolling off of her in waves.

“Oh, well, nothing _really._ I mean, wrong is subjective, isn’t it?” She rambled, obviously nervous to tell him something. He stayed quiet, and she sighed.

“Something… happened to Kain’el in dueling club. He’s okay, and he’s not hurt!!” She quickly went on to say, obviously seeing the worry that crashed onto his face. Now with his concern, he was staring into her blue eyes, feeling awkward and focusing at the sectoral heterochromia that she has in her left eye, a very bright splash of green that took up the bottom quarter of her left iris, it being the only discoloration in her otherwise sky-blue eyes.

“There was…um, an _incident_ with…” She started to say, but he was already rising and starting to walk away from the table.

“Uh, he’s in the boy’s bathroom just… around the corner…” Avery said a little weakly, Kelvin racing away from her and surprisingly finding a small group of students outside of the entrance.

 

_“Have you seen him yet?”_

_“No, have you?”_

_“Nah, I only heard about it.”_

_“I heard that he actually looks really good!”_

_“Ugh, I can’t even imagine what he’s going through. I know I would be bawling my eyes out.”_

_“I bet he looks like a right git. He already looks… you know… light in the loafers, if you get what I mean.”_

 

The conversations around him were perplexing and aggravating, some people seeming to be excited at the possibility to make fun of someone while others seemed sympathetic but curious. He pushed past everyone, a lot of the students growing quiet as he entered the bathroom. Avery followed him in, the students outside not caring too much that she was entering a boy’s bathroom considering.

Ben and an unknown blonde Slytherin girl were outside of the stall that must of held Kain’el, Kelvin striding up to it.

“Kelvin?” Kain’el called to him, the slamming of his dirty boots echoing in the large bathroom giving his presence away. Kelvin jerked the door, it not budging.

“You’re unharmed?”

“Yes, I am physically undamaged…” Kain’el’s tone was odd, emotion gracing it like he was unsure whether he was damaged or not.

“What happened? Let me in?” Kelvin shook the door again, thinking that Kain’el would open it upon request.

“I… I don’t want to let you in.” He said quickly, stopping Kelvin in his tracks.

“What happened?” He asked again grimly.

The blonde Slytherin girl sighed loudly and impatiently, her hands on her hips, her high-heeled shoes making her almost as tall as Kelvin.

“Come on, you don’t even look that bad!! Just open the door and I can help make it look even better.” She said, American accent surprising Kelvin for a moment before turning his attention back to the closed door.

“Kain’el, please.” He said, his patience growing thin, shaking the door again and finding it still locked.

“Okay, okay… I’m… I’m coming out, just... please no one laugh at me.” He said, defeat and despair evident. Kelvin backed away from the door, preparing for the worst.

“We’d never! Promise.” Avery said, almost affronted.

Kain’el muttered something under his breath, the door glowing slightly as he undid some magic he must have sealed the door with. He opened it slowly, his pale eyes and glasses peeking out and looking up at Kelvin through the small crack in the door.

“Baby, please, what’s going on?” Kelvin implored, walking forward to open the door. He never used pet names in public, but Kain’el’s hesitance was making him desperate, putting him on edge. Kain’el closed the door with a loud slam when Kelvin reached for it, squeaking slightly with nerves.

“Just… Just give me time.”

Eventually, Kain’el sighed and threw the door open, walking out and standing directly in front of Kelvin. Kelvin didn’t wait, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Kain’el’s small body, having to almost double over. He picked Kain’el up, squeezing him and breathing in relief.

“Kelvin.” Kain’el hugged back, but his tone was slightly objecting.

“I thought you had been hurt.” Kelvin whispered into Kain’el’s hair, and through habit, lifted his calloused hand to stroke the long ponytail that usually hung down the full length of Kain’el’s back.

He lifted his hand and touched nothing, his hand momentarily swimming in the air as he tried to find Kain’el’s ponytail. Finally, his hand lifted higher than normal and touched something on the very back of Kain’el’s head, the hair very short. Kelvin put Kain’el down and cupped his small, pale face, staring unblinking at the extreme lack of long, silvery hair. Instead, Kain’el’s hair had been unevenly cut, the longest sections of his hair toward the front which only reached chin length while the hair in the back had to only be a few inches long. He felt his jaw drop when he finally realized what he was even staring at. Kain’el’s eyes filled with some tears.

“M-My… my hair… it…” Kain’el swallowed a little, fighting back the tears that grouped on the edge of his lids.

“Who did this to you?” Kelvin hissed, not meaning to grip Kain’el’s face tighter in his anger. He countered it with his rough thumbs, sliding them gently across the pale cheeks.

“Vjekoslav… he casted a permanent severing charm and it hit my ponytail while we were dueling.” Kain’el weakly recalled, his shoulders slumped.

“See? It doesn’t even look bad. Hell, I’ve seen people walk into salons to get this haircut.” The blonde Slytherin girl said, shifting her weight from one hip to the other.

“D-do you think it looks bad?” Kain’el’s tone rose in pitch as he asked this question, a single tear winning and sliding down Kain’el’s cheek and resting against Kelvin’s thumb.

“No, no, Kain’el.” Kelvin said, flashing him a very rare and sincere smile. Kelvin regrettably backed away from Kain’el after wiping away his tear, keeping his hands on Kain’el’s shoulders and fulling gazing at the incredibly choppy and uneven white hair.

“It does not look bad.” Kelvin said again, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Kain’el’s forehead. Kain’el sniffed and wiped at his face.

“See? I told you.” The Slytherin girl said, her heels clicking as she stepped forward and inspected it closer.

“I can turn this into something way cute if you trust me. It will obviously need to be evened out, which means cutting some inches off the front and top.” She said, reaching forward to touch his hair. Kelvin, still grabbing at Kain’el, jerked him easily out of her reach.

“Who are you?” Kelvin asked, eyeing her. Vjekoslav was in Slytherin like this blonde, and he was worried that Vjekoslav had put her up to making his hair even worse.

“My name is Isolde, and I… fucking… despise Vjekoslav. I saw Kain’el run into here and recognized him, even without his long hair. I heard what had happened when I got to the Slytherin common room.” Her tanned face looked honest, a brief flash of anger in her eyes when she said Vjekoslav’s name.

“I know you have no reason to trust me, but being Muggle-born, I know how to cut and style hair without magic.” She continued, idly bring a hand up to toss her own light golden hair. The more Kelvin looked at her, the more artificial she appeared to him. Isolde obviously spent a lot of time on herself, her fake eyelashes protruding from her long winged black eyeliner. She looked and sounded like the stereotypical Californian girl, someone you wouldn’t expect to see outside Hollywood, and Kelvin believed that if anyone could mundanely help Kain’el, it might be her.

“You’ve had experience with other people’s hair, not just your own?” Kelvin asked protectively, still holding onto Kain’el.

“Oh def. I can cut, style, dye… whatever.” She shrugged, her nonchalant attitude putting Kelvin off slightly.

“What do you think?” Kelvin quietly muttered to Kain’el, wishing he wasn’t so powerless to help him, wishing that he could do something, anything. He bit back the frown as he reasoned with himself that he couldn’t.

Kain’el contemplated, sighed, and then nodded his head, gulping a little as he gathered his nerve.

“Yessss, this is going to be so much fun. Wait here, I’ll go grab some things.” Isolde said, nearly skipping out of the bathroom, the red color that decorated the underside of her heel the last thing they saw for nearly 10 minutes. Midway through the waiting, Ben skipped off to help in the hospital wing, Avery staying put for support.

“Isolde’s pretty fashionable, I bet she’ll do a good job.” Avery commented, standing close to Kain’el and smiling, trying to lighten the mood.

“I don’t necessarily doubt her skill, but… if I’m honest, I’ve been growing out my hair since I was born. I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t have long hair.” Kain’el sighed, leaning forward and resting his head against Kelvin’s chest.

“Maybe you’ll discover new things about yourself from this experience? Maybe you’ll even like having short hair!” Avery said, trying to put a light spin on the situation.

“Perhaps… I shouldn’t dismiss the idea outright…” Kain’el said, but his tone told them all how he really felt about the situation.

When Isolde opened the door, more murmurs from the committed students floated in, all asking Isolde what was going on and how Kain’el looked, whether it was good or bad. She ignored them, thankfully, and strutted inside with an arm full of tools.

“I’ve been thinking about what kind of hairstyle would look good on you, and I have a few ideas.” She said, plopping some of the things into one of the white ceramic sinks. She threw a couple of magazines toward the three of them, Kelvin catching them with a scowl, wondering why she didn’t simply hand the magazines to them. He gave them to Kain’el, a few of the pages colorfully marked with muggle post-its.

Kelvin watched as Kain’el flipped to each of the marked pages, a various number of hairstyles ranging from chin length to as short as Kelvin’s hair. Kelvin watched the small lump in Kain’el’s throat dip as he swallowed, switching between the magazine pages and contemplating. Isolde was behind them, preparing and cleaning off some scissors and, to Kelvin’s surprise, a battery powered hair clipper with attachments to guide for sizing.

“Will that work?” He asked, knowing electronics and Hogwarts did not mix.

“I was wondering that myself, but I brought it anyways in case. I figure, maybe we can all use magic to make it work for a long enough time depending on what you choose.” She finally turned around, fluffing her hair and primping herself.

“I think I have finally made a decision…” Kain’el said, staring intently at a page in one of the fashion magazines. He handed it off to Isolde, Kelvin not able to see the page before she squealed loud enough to echo in the bathroom and shut it.

“Oooh, I am so happy you chose that. It’s going to look SO good, and I might not even need the clippers.” She said, withdrawing from the sink a long sleeveless poncho. She threw it toward the pair of them, Kelvin wondering why she seemed incapable of handing them anything, and Kelvin slipped the protective item down around Kain’el’s head.

“I can’t wait to see what kind of haircut you chose!” Avery said, her hands together with her excitement.

Isolde turned around and snapped her scissors together a couple of times, a gleam in her eyes.

“Are you ready?” She asked in a theatrical tone, the ominous timbre of her voice not pleasing Kelvin.

“Yes, let’s do it.” Kain’el said bravely, closing his eyes extremely tightly as Isolde started forward, her silver scissors snipping as she continued to open and close them.

“Now, stand still. You’ll probably wanna remove your glasses until I’m done. I’ll have to get close to your ears.” She said, waiting until he removed his glasses to start messing with Kain’el’s hair.

“It’s so many different lengths… luckily we should be able to even most of that out.” She said mostly to herself, finding the shortest length of the hair that rested in the front and on the top. Once she figured out a good common length, she started to cut.

Kelvin, wanting to watch and not wanting to watch, stayed close to Kain’el, grabbing at his hand in an offering of strength. Kain’el did well in keeping his eyes closed the whole entire time, his head jerking around somewhat as Isolde pulled and cut at his silvery hair.

“Man, I think you have the healthiest and strongest hair I’ve ever seen.” Isolde commented, her eyes almost crossed as she focused her attention on some of the ends she was cutting, making them textured with uneven cuts of her small scissors.

“I take… I _took_ great pride in caring for my hair, both magically and naturally.”

“Naturally?” Isolde repeated, obviously not understanding.

“There are plenty of natural remedies to help improve the strength and health of your hair. It’s not uncommon for me to use different kinds of oils from various vegetables, coconut, even honey, to condition and improve the health of my hair. Avocado hair masks look atrocious but can be quite soothing, and apple cider vinegar can help the pH balance of your hair while removing buildup, too.”

“Wow, Kain’el! You really do know so much about everything.” Avery commented, her hands reaching up and running her fingers through her own long red ponytail in an inspecting kind of way.

“No kidding, damn. I had no idea that you knew so much about hair care. We need to talk shop more, I think.” She said excitedly, running her fingers over and over in Kain’el’s hair. Kelvin nearly bristled at the sight of it, Kain’el’s face relaxing into the touch, his pale eyebrows turning up in pleasure, most likely enjoying her longer nails scraping against his scalp.

“Almost done I think. Now for the tricky part…” She said, bending herself down to match his height. She took the small inches of hair that remained along the back of his head, taking a significant chunk of it and cutting the hair nearly to his scalp. Kelvin pulled Kain’el toward him as she cut the large chunk of hair off, her immediately getting angry.

“Dude, what the fuck?? Do you want me to give him a shitty ass haircut?” She retorted, her voice grating to Kelvin with her rising emotion.

“It’s alright, Kelvin! The picture looked to be that short in the back and along the sides.” Kain’el said, his violet eyes popping open with the sudden jerk of his body.

Kelvin stared at him and cupped his face again, his eyes wandering all over what Isolde had already done. He didn’t want to admit that with every section she finished, the more he started to enjoy how she was cutting his hair. Nothing would ever be able to replace the long, flowing silvery blonde braids and ponytail that Kain’el had always worn, but this newer, sharper, shorter look was flattering on Kain’el’s thin face. It seemed to make his facial features more prominent, more apparent. Kelvin, still jealous that Isolde had been able to play with Kain’el’s short hair, pretended to inspect the lengths of it, greedily raking his tough fingertips along Kain’el’s scalp.

“Mm, that feels really nice!” Kain’el admitted, his pale skin flushing a little at the intimacy.

“Does your lordship approve? Can I finish now?” Isolde sarcastically bit at Kelvin with a horrible attempt at a British accent, her one leg jittering and her hands back on her hips.

“Yes.” Kelvin whispered, running his hands a few more times around Kain’el’s short hair before letting him go with a small kiss to his forehead. Kain’el beamed up at Kelvin, his cheeks still rosy.

Kain’el shut his eyes again and Isolde made quick work of the back and sides, Kelvin watched with renewed interest at the realization that he did indeed find this haircut to be nearly as appealing as his long hair. His stomach felt like it was full of butterflies as she grew closer and closer to finishing, happy when the scissors closed for the last time and she took a step back to admire her work.

“Damn, Kain’el, you look fine as hell.” She said happily, her eyes sweeping over him.

Kain’el reached for his glasses, blinking a little as he put them on. Kelvin let him go inspect himself in the mirror, biting back a rising blush as he finally decided that he looked very good with shorter hair.

“Oh, Merlin’s beard!” Kain’el exclaimed, turning his head this way and that way, wide-eyed worry written on his pale features.

“I-it’s… it’s definitely short.” Kain’el squeaked.

“Well??” Isolde said impatiently.

“Do you like it?? It does look really good, Kain’el.” Avery asked excitedly, moving from her spot to also peer around Kain’el. She had a wide, genuine smile planted on her face.

Kain’el seemed to contemplate that question for a long time, his head still turning to show him different angles of his new hair, his hand nervously reaching up to feel the nearly non-existent fuzz in the back of his head, as if he wasn’t allowed to touch it.

“I do like it.” He finally said, a small sheepish smile gracing his face.

“Oh, thank God. I would have been really upset if you had hated it.” Isolde said, cleaning up the things in the sink but not making any attempt to clean the hair off the floor. She flipped the poncho off Kain’el and bundled it around the magazines and hair cutting tools.

“If I was a worse person I’d ask you for money, but God knows that if anyone had permanently cut my hair… Anyways, if you want anything else done, you know where to find me.” Her eyes darkened, seeming to get angry all over again. She flipped them all a wave.

“Thank you so much, Isolde! I really, really appreciate all the trouble that you experienced only to help someone that you don’t even know.” Kain’el said, his face re-flushing a soft petal pink.

“No biggie. Catch you later.” She said, exiting the bathroom. The students that remained picked up their questioning again.

 

_“Did you cut his hair? What does he look like?”_

_“What happened? Will you tell us?”_

_“Did you figure out a way to grow it back?”_

 

“Kelvin, what do you think?” Kain’el asked, looking into the mirror to observe Kelvin.

Kelvin had moved back to lean against the stalls, his attention rapt. Kain’el’s flush started to grow darker in colour with Kelvin’s unwavering consideration. Kelvin pushed himself off the stalls and walked slowly to Kain’el, Avery squeezing Kain’el’s shoulders with one arm before muttering a ‘see you soon’ and leaving the bathroom.

“I… I hope it is to your satisfaction considering the circumstances in which she had to work with.” Kain’el meekly said. Kelvin remained silent, his dark blue eyes only on Kain’el’s violet ones as he approached and stood directly behind him, observing through the mirror.

Kain’el fidgeted more than usual under his gaze, nervous for an answer. Kelvin finally bent down and wrapped his arms around Kain’el’s small body, nuzzling his nose into his hair and smelling the cedar wood and lavender that was Kain’el’s scent.

“Yes…” He whispered again, continuing to nuzzle his nose into the soft strands of his very short hair.

“Truly?” Kain’el asked a little breathlessly, his eyelids drooping with pleasure.

“You look… _very good…_ with short hair.” Kelvin said, moving his head around so he could plant kisses along his very exposed, naked ear and neck. Kelvin moved his arms from around Kain’el, reaching up so he could continue his admiration from earlier, his fingers finding home in the soft thickness of Kain’el’s hair. He scratched at Kain’el’s scalp, pulling gently at the small lengths. He only stopped when Kain’el started to audibly moan.

“I am… so pleased to hear that you like it.” Kain’el finally said, Kelvin needing to back away from Kain’el before he got the pair of them into trouble.

“Shall we face the horde?” Kelvin asked, reaching for Kain’el’s hand, happy when the small pale hand found its home in his large rough one.

“How many students are out there?”

“Too many.”

“I suppose I’ll have to leave. I’m not sure if my disillusionment charm would be strong enough to properly camouflage me from all the students.” He said dejectedly.

“I’ll deal with anyone who seeks to bully you.” Kelvin said honestly, earning a wide smile from Kain’el.

The reaction once they exited the bathroom was a confusing mixture of shock, humor, and adoration. Kelvin felt his eyebrows raise with surprise as a few number of the girls in the crowd squealed in delight at the sight of Kain’el’s short hair.

 

_“Oh my GOD! Short hair looks sooo good on him!”_

_“Oh man, Vjekoslav really did a number on him, didn’t he? No wonder he lost 25 house points.”_

_“25 house points?!”_

_“Who is that coming out of the bathroom now?”_

_“That’s Kain’el!”_

_“No! Kain’el, Kain’el?? Like top of every class in every year Kain’el?”_

_“That’s definitely him! He looks so different.”_

_“Wow! I never noticed what a little cutie he is!”_

_“See, I told you he’d look gay as hell. Look how he’s holding that guys hand. You’d think that having shorter hair would have made him more of a man.”_

_“No kidding. I mean, besides girls, who locks themselves in the bathroom because their hair got cut off?”_

 

Kelvin nearly pushed his way past the throng of students, some of them insulting him after he forced his way through. He kept his hand gripped tightly around Kain’el’s, driving him past the mutterings and gossipers. Once they were clear of anyone, nearly at the base of Ravenclaw tower, Kelvin peeked back, seeing a mixture of emotions on Kain’el’s face. He was obviously self-conscious, nervous of what people would say, yet there was a pleased gleam in his violet eyes.

“I may regret letting Isolde cut your hair.” Kelvin said out of nowhere. Kain’el’s eyes popped up, wide and worried that maybe Kelvin didn’t like his hair.

“Why??”

“Didn’t you hear some of the students back there? Your beauty is being widely recognized. _It makes me jealous._ ” He purred out in a whisper, stopping while they were talking to observe Kain’el again. He wrapped his arms around Kain’el and held him tight to his body.

“You’re mine, Kain’el.” He whispered into the pale exposed ear, nipping at it now that they had a small amount of privacy away from the students.

 

===

 

Vjekoslav waited patiently in the dueling club meeting room, his dead looking eyes focused on the doorway. Although the volume in the room indicated that people were already arriving, he did not see them enter. A few of them possibly asked him some questions about last week, but he didn’t hear them.

 _“God, Vjekoslav is weird.”_ Some words floated past his concentration, and inwardly Vjekoslav smirked.

Finally, Kain’el walked into the room with his head down, the spark that had been in his eyes the past week now completely faded. Vjekoslav had been watching Kain’el carefully the past few days, respectfully keeping himself out of Kain’el’s sight even when they shared classes, and Vjekoslav had watched Kain’el’s finely cut hair be a momentary boost for him, the compliments he was receiving far outweighing the insults. As each day came and went, however, Vjekoslav noticed that the smile he had when people mentioned his hair was dimming, now non-existent. Vjekoslav thought that if he focused hard enough, he would be able to hear Kain’el’s thoughts, planning how best to try and grow back his hair.

Vjekoslav approached him, the session not yet started, but someone stepped between him and Kain’el before he could draw near. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, his focus pinpointed on the more solemn looking Kain’el. When he drew his eyes away from him, he found himself staring at the very quiet and generally elusive Kelvin Wright, a dirty, nature loving Muggle-born who somehow wormed his way into a relationship with Kain’el despite a lack of commonality in almost all things and lack of magical prowess.

“Don’t.” Was all Kelvin said, and maybe it was all he could say. His eyes looked dangerous, their dark blue storming with emotion, but his voice wavered if you knew how to listen to it.

“I wasn’t…” Vjekoslav started to say, but Kelvin took a large and unexpected step toward him, their fronts almost touching. Vjekoslav took a step back, closing his mouth.

“Don’t.” He repeated more quietly, desperation hidden in the timbre of his already deepening voice. Vjekoslav could hear the fear in Kelvin’s heartbeat, could see it manifesting in widening pupils and the sudden scent of earthy perspiration. Kelvin was definitely afraid of Vjekoslav but managed his fear very well for a Muggle-born.

“Are you his bodyguard now? What a poor choice, considering I don’t think you can even do magic.” Vjekoslav smoothly stated, raking his eyes over the pair of them. Kain’el was watching with trepidation, his blue violet duo-chrome eyes jerking between the pair of them. Vjekoslav noticed how close Kain’el’s hand was to his wand, and he decided to back away another step.

Drawing his attention back to the lumbering Hufflepuff in front of him, he spoke in a pitch that Kain’el would not hear what he was saying unless he came closer.

“Tell me Kelvin, do you think by somehow _coercing_ Kain’el into a relationship with you that it might solidify the chance of greatness somehow gracing you with its gifts? Or perhaps you’ve been so desperate for something worthwhile to come about in your empty, grubby, farmer life that you are fine enough with merely standing by it? Do you actually dare to touch him, or are you worried that the pit stain of your existence will rub off onto him, spoiling him?”

Vjekoslav was pleased when Kelvin’s eyes darkened even further, his nostrils flaring momentarily with an increasing rate of breathing while his jaw clenched with an effort to keep his mouth shut. Vjekoslav let the smallest smirk onto his face, seeing that he was getting a rise out of Kelvin, perhaps his observation not being completely far off from reality.

“How long did it take you to finally touch him? How worried were you that you’d ruin him if you did, that you’d hurt him if you did? Were you afraid he’d finally see you the same way as you see the beetle grubs you pick out of your potatoes back at home?” Kelvin blinked but didn’t say anything, his fists clenching audibly to Vjekoslav’s sensitive ears.

“Give it time. He’s having fun with you now, surely, the _oddity_ that you are. You’re something completely other to him, aren’t you, a curiosity, and we all know how much Kain’el enjoys his experiments. Kain’el experiments for the sake of learning, regardless of any possible failures or eventual dissatisfaction. Have you done any research on the Trellesai family? You may be surprised to find out that Kain’el isn’t even two generations away from muggle killers.” Vjekoslav chanced a glance back to Kain’el, seeing him concentrating hard on Vjekoslav’s mouth in an attempt to guess what he was saying.

Vjekoslav traced his bottom lip with the very tip of his red tongue, biting into it with the points of his white fangs, the motion of it causing Kain’el to blink rapidly and look away with a heated flush.

“Hmm, his mental acquisitiveness may already be floating elsewhere, perhaps to subjects more... _deserving._ ” Vjekoslav purred in a whisper, his icy eyes flashing back in time to see real rage flash white hot in Kelvin’s eyes.

The sound of Hypatia’s boots clicking against the stone made Vjekoslav slip to the back of the room, using his vampiric speed to suddenly disappear from Kelvin’s vision. Vjekoslav watched as Kelvin stayed in his place in the room, nearly shaking although winning the fight against his anger. Kain’el quickly padded to him, reaching out a pale hand to touch his back or shoulder with quizzical reassurance. Kelvin dodged Kain’el’s hand but grabbed it anyways, kissing the white knuckles quickly before marching out of the room without saying anything.


End file.
